1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an atraumatic retraction device for use in laparoscopic surgery. In particular, the invention relates to an inflatable medical device which may be inserted into the patient's abdomen through a small incision, inflated for use to retract an internal organ, then deflated and removed at the conclusion of the surgery.
2. Background of the Related Technology
Surgery on abdominal organs has traditionally been conducted through a single standard incision in the patient's abdomen. This technique is known as open surgery. During the last several years, less traumatic techniques have been developed to treat abdominal ailments, including laparoscopic surgery.
Laparoscopic surgery is performed through very small incisions in the abdomen, usually only 5 to 12 mm. The abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide (CO.sup.2)--a harmless gas--in order to expand the abdominal cavity to provide a space to perform the surgery. A laparoscope containing a camera inserted through a small incision in the navel enables the surgeon to inspect the inside of the abdomen on a television monitor. The entire surgery is conducted by the surgeon manipulating specially designed instruments which protrude into the abdomen through several other small incisions while the surgeon views the procedure on the television monitor.
This minimally invasive surgical technique has several advantages over traditional open surgery. Laparoscopic surgery usually takes less time than a comparable open surgery. Because no muscles are cut and only small incision are made, the patient is likely to experience less post-operative pain than from open surgery. The recovery time in the hospital, and therefore the cost, is often less. Furthermore, when the tiny incisions heal, the scars may be nearly invisible, instead of a long abdominal scar which usually results from open surgery.
Laparoscopic surgery, however, is still quite new and efficient retraction of abdominal organs has been challenging. One typical complication which often occurs during laparoscopic surgery is injury or hemorrhaging caused by contact of a surgical instrument against a fragile organ such as the liver or spleen. The small incisions through which laparoscopic surgery is performed severely limits the size and shape of retraction devices which may be used. Retraction devices currently used in laparoscopic surgery include mechanically expandable devices such as the three-pronged liver retractor (Cabot Medical Corp., Langhorne, Pa., U.S.A.) shown in FIG. 3. This particular device consists of a set of three metal prongs which may be collapsed together for insertion into the abdomen, then mechanically expanded within the abdominal cavity in order to retract the liver.